Communications device with extendable screen

ABSTRACT

Described herein are apparatuses and mechanisms for providing an extendable screen in a portable communications device. A portable communications device may be provided with a multi-part screen, a portion of which may be extended to provide an expanded viewing display surface or may be retracted to provide a reduced viewing mode and increased portability. In a reduced viewing mode, a graphical display may be provided on a first, visible portion of a multi-part display screen, where one or more other screen portions are retracted and/or obscured from view in order to provide a portable mode for the communications device. In an extended viewing mode, the one or more other screen portions may be extended and/or brought into the same plane as a first portion of the multi-part display in order to provide increased display size and resolution.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Electronic display technologies have evolved significantly since theirinception decades ago. Cathode-ray tubes have largely become obsolete asplasma displays, liquid crystal displays (LCDs), and light emittingdiode (LED) based displays have become more commonplace. These newtechnologies have allowed for increasingly thinner and lighter displays,thereby allowing for the creation of devices that are increasinglyportable that still provide a quality, high resolution display.

Regardless of the display technologies used, there is tension in thedesign of portable electronic devices between providing larger, higherresolution screens and making devices more portable. As an example,tablet computing devices such as the APPLE® IPAD® are in high demandlargely because they offer significant computing power coupled with arelatively large, high-resolution screen in a device that is much moreportable than a laptop or even a net-book. Although tablet-sizedportable computing devices offer various conveniences and advantages,they are still too bulky to be reasonably carried in a pocket orholster. Thus, a person will generally need a carrying bag if he or shedesires to carry a communications device that is larger than a standardsmart phone in their everyday affairs. This may not pose a problem towomen, who already commonly carry purses that are adequately sized tostash a tablet device. However, American society has not evolved (ordevolved, depending on one's perspective) to the point where it issocially acceptable for a man to carry a man-purse—abbreviated as a“murse,” or, as Jerry Seinfeld calls it, a “European carry-all”—where hemight easily stow a tablet-sized device to take with him wherever hegoes. Although a man may carry a backpack or briefcase into somesituations without taking a serious hit to his manliness, suchaccoutrements are limited in their suitability to various everydayscenarios. For example, a man may want to have a portable communicationsdevice along at dinner, at a movie, on a date, out on the town withfriends, and so forth. Thus, while a woman may readily add acommunications device with a larger screen than a smart phone to thelist of items she can carry in her purse, to access wherever andwhenever she likes, a man currently has few or no socially acceptable,unawkward options for carrying a tablet into various common situations.This portability inequality is merely one example of the conflictbetween the screen size of a communications device and its portability.

Described herein are apparatuses and mechanisms for providing anextendable screen in a portable communications device. Per disclosuresherein, a portable communications device may be provided with amulti-part screen, a portion of which may be extended to provide anexpanded viewing display surface or may be retracted to provide areduced viewing mode and increased portability. In a reduced viewingmode, a graphical display may be provided on a first, visible portion ofa multi-part display screen, where one or more other screen portions areretracted and/or obscured from view in order to provide a portable modefor the communications device. In an extended viewing mode, the one ormore other screen portions may be extended and/or brought into the sameplane as a first portion of the multi-part display in order to provideincreased display size and resolution.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A-1D illustrate a communications device with an extendabledisplay, according to one or more embodiments.

FIGS. 2A-2C provides a perspective view of the communications device ofFIGS. 1A-1D.

FIG. 3 illustrates a communications device with an extendable displaythat includes three screen portions, according to one or moreembodiments.

FIGS. 4A-4C illustrate a communications device with an extendabledisplay, which includes one or more edge segments, according to one onor more embodiments.

FIGS. 5A-5D illustrate a communications device with an extendabledisplay that utilizes a folding mechanism, according to one or moreembodiments.

FIGS. 6A-6C illustrate a communications device with an extendabledisplay that utilizes a folding mechanism, according to one or moreembodiments.

FIGS. 7A-7B illustrate a communications device with an extendabledisplay that utilizes a folding mechanism and includes three screenportions, according to one or more embodiments,

FIG. 8 illustrates a portable communications device and correspondingcomponents, according to one or more embodiments.

FIG. 9 depicts a flowchart of a method for displaying a graphical outputon a communications device, according to one or more embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In one embodiment, a portable communications device is provided. Theportable communications device includes a communications interface forreceiving communications, via a communications network. The device alsoincludes control logic for processing incoming communications, and aninput interface for receiving inputs from a user of the device. Thedevice further includes a graphics processor and a display apparatus.The display apparatus comprises a first screen portion, which provides adisplay of graphical data that is provided by the graphics processor.The display apparatus further includes a second screen portion, which,when the device is in a first mode, is housed inside the device'shousing and is not in an activated state. The second screen portion maybe extended from the housing and brought into a position that iscoplanar with the first screen portion. In such a position, an edge ofthe second screen portion may be immediately adjacent to and abutting anedge of the first screen portion. In this position, the second screenportion is brought into an activated state. When the second screenportion is fully extended and brought into the activated state, thegraphics processor is operable to provide graphical data to be renderedon both the first and second screen portions. In at least oneembodiment, a graphical display region comprised of both the first andsecond screen portions may be utilized by the processor to provide asingle graphical presentation.

In a second embodiment, a portable communications device is providedthat includes a first screen portion and a second screen portion. Theportable communications device may be placed in a first displayconfiguration wherein the first screen portion is folded on top of thesecond screen portion such that a first planar surface of the firstscreen portion abuts an oppositely facing planar surface of the secondscreen portion, such that only a second planar surface of the firstscreen portion, which is opposite the first planar surface of the firstscreen portion, is facing and immediately visible to a user of thecommunications device. The first screen portion is operable to beunfolded from first display configuration into a second displayconfiguration, wherein the first planar face of the first screen portionand the planar face of the second screen portion are in the same planeand form a single presentation surface.

In the various embodiments described herein, a portable communicationsdevice may comprise a portable telephonic device, a tablet device, aportable gaming device, a handheld computing device, and so forth.

FIG. 1A illustrates a portable communications device 100 according to atleast one embodiment. The portable communications device 100 of FIG. 1Ahas a housing 102, which houses various components of the device,including electronic components and circuitry, some of which may bedescribed below with respect to FIG. 8. Housing 102 encases a firstscreen portion 104 which has a planar display surface facing outwardlyfrom the housing 102. Housing 102 also encases a second screen portion106, which, in FIG. 1A, is in a retracted position to provide a portablemode of the device and is thus disposed inside of the housing 102. Asdescribed below, with respect to FIGS. 1B, 1C and others, second screenportion 106 may be extended from the housing 102 in order to extend theviewing screen, i.e., the display area of the communications device 100.In at least one embodiment, portable communications device 100 furtherincludes an optional actuator 108, which may be engaged by a user of theportable communications device 100 in order to extend the second screenportion 106 from the housing 102. In one embodiment, actuator 108 may bedepressed or otherwise engaged by a user in order to mechanically causethe second screen portion 106 to be partially extended from the housing102. Once second screen portion 106 is partially extended, a user maygrip some portion of the second screen portion 106—or some memberattached thereto—in order to fully extend the second screen portion 106from the housing 102.

FIG. 1B illustrates the portable communications device 100 according toat least one embodiment. In FIG. 1B, the second screen portion 106 ispartially extended from the housing 102. In one example embodiment, auser may have engaged the actuator 108 in order to initiate theextension of the second screen portion 106. Once the second screenportion 106 is partially extended—sufficiently that the user may gripthe second screen portion—the user may gently pull the second screenportion 106 in order to extend it from the housing.

In at least one embodiment, extension of the second screen portion 106may be facilitated by a track and bearing system that may be disposedwithin the housing. For example, one or more tracks disposed on thebackside or edges of the second screen portion 106 may glide inconjunction with one or more ball bearings or rollers disposed withinthe housing 102 in order to guide the extension of the screen portion106 and facilitate the screen portion 106 sliding smoothly, evenly, andwith minimal effort as it is extended.

FIG. 1C illustrates the portable communications device 100, where thesecond screen portion 106 is fully extended. In at least one embodiment,the second screen portion 106, once fully extended, is positioned in thesame plane as the first screen portion 104. Whereas in FIGS. 1A and 1B,the second screen portion 106 is below the first screen portion 104 andis therefore not in the same plane as the first screen portion 104, asthe second screen portion 106 is moved into a fully extended position,in the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1C, an inner edge (in this depiction,the left edge) of the second screen portion 106 may move slightly pastan edge (in this depiction, the right edge) of the first screen portion104 such that the second screen portion 106 may be moved upwards intothe same plane as the first screen portion 104. At this point the edgeof the second screen portion 106 may directly abut the edge of the firstscreen portion 104. With the two screen portions directly abutting eachother and in the same plane, the screen portions may form a singledisplay, which has a larger size and greater resolution.

One or more underlying supports or other mechanical devices, such as,for example, a spring, or a portion of the track and bearing systemdescribed above, may facilitate the movement of the second screenportion 106 into the same plane as the first screen portion 104 once thesecond screen portion 106 is fully extended. In one example embodiment,a spring mechanism within the housing 102 may put tension on the secondscreen portion 106 such that the second screen portion 106 is pushedinto the plane of the first screen portion 104 once the inner edge ofthe second screen portion 106 is clear of the first screen portion 104.Additionally, in some embodiments, one or more structures may beprovided on the back side and/or edges of the second screen portion 106,including, for example, the track structures described above, whichprovide support for the second screen portion 106 in an extendedposition and hold it in place.

Display screen portions 104 and/or 106 may be comprised of various typesof display technologies that are available. For example, display screensmay consist of either back-lit or edge-lit liquid crystal display (LCD)screens, or light-emitting diode (LED) based screens. In at least oneembodiment, the display screen portions may comprise LCD screens thatare back-lit and/or edge-lit by LED light sources. In some embodiments,plasma screen technologies may be utilized. In at least one embodiment,organic light emitting diode (OLED) display technologies may beutilized. OLED is a technology in which the electronic structuresconstituting pixels provide their own light and thus may or may not bebacklit. OLED screens are discussed in more detail below.

As depicted in FIG. 1C, when the second display screen portion 106 isfully extended and/or has “snapped” into the same plane as the firstdisplay screen portion 104, the first and second display screen portions104 and 106 may constitute a singular, combined display surface. Agraphical presentation that was being provided on the first displayscreen portion 104 in a portable mode of the communications device 100,as depicted in the example illustrations of FIGS. 1A and 1B, may beexpanded or adjusted to be presented on the combined display screen, asdepicted in FIG. 1C. In order to utilize the additional screen realestate that is provided when the second display portion 106 is extended,available screen resolution may be expanded to incorporate theadditional resolution that is provided by the second display screenportion 106. For example, if a screen resolution of first display screenportion 104 is 320×240, and a screen resolution of the second displayscreen portion 106 is the same, then when the second display screen isexpanded the combined display surface may provide a total resolution of320×480.

In at least one embodiment, a graphical presentation may be rotated whena combined display surface is created from two or more display screenportions. In the examples depicted in FIGS. 1A-1C, a graphicalpresentation provided on the combined display surface of FIG. 1C is bothenlarged and rotated 90 degrees from the graphical presentation providedin FIG. 1A. This may be done to provide the best proportions for thegraphical presentation that is provided, in relation to the new screenresolution provided by a combined display surface. However, in someembodiments, communications devices may be sensitive to a physicalrotational positioning or orientation of the communications device, andimages may thus be rotated to be upright, according to the position thata user is holding the device.

FIG. 1D depicts another embodiment, in which a graphical processor ofthe communications device provides a different functionality for acombined display surface of first and second display screen portions 104and 106. In FIG. 1D, rather than the combined display surface providingan expanded graphical presentation as is depicted in FIG. 1C, theexample combined display surface represented by FIG. 1D continues toprovide a graphical presentation on the first display screen portion104, while also providing a presentation of additional graphicalelements on the second display screen portion 106. In this example, theadditional graphical presentation constitutes a set of touch interfacecontrols for controlling an ongoing video presentation. However,virtually any type of graphical presentation could be provided in thesecond display screen portion 106, which may be related to or unrelatedto a concurrently displayed graphical presentation in first screenportion 104.

As depicted in FIG. 1D, in at least one embodiment, one or more displayscreen portions may be coupled with a touch screen surface to providetouch screen functionality at the mobile device. In one exampleembodiment, a display layer of the display screen portion 106 may becoupled with a transparent conductive layer, along with capacitanceand/or current-change detection technology which detects slight changesin capacitance or electrical current, which occur when a screen portionis touched. Other embodiments of touch screen displays may detectchanges in wave reflection, such as a reflection of inaudible soundwaves or rays of infrared light.

FIG. 2A provides a second perspective view of the communications device100 depicted in FIG. 1A. As depicted in FIG. 2A, communications device100 includes a housing 102. Housing 102 may encapsulate electronicelements that are contained within the communications device 100 andwhich are described in more detail below with respect to FIG. 8.Communications device 100 includes a first display screen portion 104disposed at one surface of the communications device 100. The device 100also includes a second display screen portion 106 which is in aretracted position, and is fully enclosed within the housing 102, belowthe first display screen portion 104. In this configuration, allgraphical display is provided at the first display screen portion 104and the device is configured for maximum portability. In at least oneembodiment, communications device 100 may include an optional actuator108 which may be engaged by a user to initiate extension of the seconddisplay screen portion 106.

While a button-like actuator 108 is depicted in FIGS. 1A-1C, 2A, andvarious other figures, it is to be understood that virtually anyactuator, mechanical interface element, or electronic interface elementmay be provided which is operable to cause the second display screenportion 106 to be fully or partially extended or to become extendable bya user. The interface element may be positioned anywhere on thecommunications device 100. For instance, in one example embodiment, aswitch may be placed by a user into a first position, which locks thesecond display screen portion 106 in the retracted position in thehousing 102. The switch may be engaged by a user and placed in a secondposition, wherein a part of the second display screen portion isextended such that the user may fully extend the second display screenportion 106. In another embodiment, a user may interact with anelectronic interface element, displayed on the first display screenportion 104, which causes the second display screen portion 106 to bereleased and/or partially or fully extended from the housing 102. Instill another embodiment, an actuator or other mechanical or electronicuser interface element may be engaged by a user in order to release amember that is attached to the second display screen portion 106 andwhich the user may push, pull, or otherwise interact with in order tofully extend the second display screen portion 106. In at least oneembodiment, a user may extract the second display screen portion 106without engaging any actuator or user interface element.

FIG. 2B depicts the communications device 100, in which the seconddisplay screen portion 106 is partially extended. As described above, inat least one embodiment, the second display screen portion 106 may bepartially extended based on an actuation of the actuator 108 by a user.A user may grip an edge of the second display screen portion 106 inorder to fully extend it. In at least one embodiment, display screenportion 106 may have a non-screen edge portion (not depicted) along atleast a portion of the outer edge. This portion may be made of plastic,metal, or another material, and is operable for the user to grip theportion and extend the second display screen portion 106 without, forexample, smudging the screen or having to grip a slippery or lessdurable surface. As described above, the underside or edges of seconddisplay screen portion 106 may or may not be coupled to one or moretracks, with corresponding bearings and/or rollers disposed in thehousing 102 which provide for the second display screen portion to glideeasily to a fully extended position. Alternative mechanisms, for examplea roller or ball bearing that rolls directly against the undersidesurface of second display screen 106, may facilitate a smooth extensionof the second display screen portion 106. In at least one embodiment, nomechanism is provided to enhance or smooth the extension of the seconddisplay screen portion 106.

FIG. 2C depicts the communications device 100, in which the seconddisplay screen portion 106 is fully extended. When the second displayscreen portion 106 becomes fully extended it may be shifted verticallyin order to come into the same plane as the first display screen portion104, thus providing a larger, single display screen. As described above,a movement of the second display screen portion 106 such that it is inthe same plane as the first screen portion 104 and such that an edge ofthe second display screen portion directly abuts an edge of the firstdisplay screen portion may be facilitated through various mechanisms. Inone example embodiment, a spring or spring-like mechanism coupled to thehousing 102 may exert an upward force on the second display screenportion 106 such that once the second screen portion is fully extendedand an interior edge of the second display screen portion 106 is clearof the underside of the first display screen portion 104, the edge ispushed upward. In another embodiment, a user may press lightly upward onthe second display screen portion 106 to “snap” the screen portion intoplace in the same plane as the first display screen portion 104.

As described elsewhere herein and as depicted in FIG. 2C, a graphicalpresentation that was previously being presented on the first screenportion 104 may be extended to be presented on the combined displayscreen that is provided by both the first and second display screenportions 104 and 106 once the second display screen portion 106 is fullyextended. In various embodiments, an orientation of a graphicalpresentation provided by the communications device 100 at the combineddisplay screen may be rotated, either automatically or manually. In atleast one embodiment, a rotation of the graphical presentation may beeffectuated in order to make an improved use of screen space anddimensions and/or to reduce or eliminate skew. In some embodiments, thegraphical presentation may be rotated based on the physical orientationof the device 100 with respect to a user.

FIG. 3 depicts an embodiment of a communications device 300, which mayhave some similarities to communications device 100 described in FIGS.1A-1D and FIGS. 2A-2C. The communications device 300 of FIG. 3 includes,in addition to a first display screen portion 304 and second displayscreen portion 306, a third display screen portion 307. In someembodiments, second screen portion 306 and third display portion 307 mayhave one or more of the qualities of the second screen portion 106 thatare described above. Third screen portion 307 may, in a retracted mode,be housed inside the housing 302 of the communications device 300. In atleast one embodiment, the third screen portion 307, when in a retractedmode (not shown), may be disposed below the second screen portion 306,which is in turn disposed below the first screen portion 304. In atleast one embodiment, there may be an optional second actuator (obscuredfrom view in FIG. 3) for initiating an extension of the third screenportion 307 from the housing, or any other physical or electronic userinterface element as described above. The second actuator may be inaddition to a first actuator 308, which operates on the second screen306. In at least one embodiment, a single actuator 308 or other userinterface element may be engaged to cause both the second screen portion306 and third screen portion 307 to be partially or fully extended.

In an embodiment where an actuator or other user interface element isengaged by a user to partially extend third screen portion 307, a usermay grip the third screen portion or a member that is connected thereto,in order to fully extend the third screen portion 307. As with thecommunications device 100 described above, when third screen portion 307is fully extended, it may be brought into the same plane as the firstscreen portion 304 and/or the second screen portion 306, in order toprovide a single display. As depicted in FIG. 3, a graphicalpresentation that is provided at the first screen portion 304 and/or thesecond screen portion 306 may be altered, rotated and/or expanded inorder to utilize the additional screen space that is provided by thethird screen portion 307 in addition to the first and second screenportions 304 and 306.

FIG. 4A illustrates another embodiment of a communications device:communications device 400. In some embodiments, communications device400 and its elements may have some of the attributes described abovewith respect to the communications devices 100 and 300 depicted inprevious figures. Similar to communications devices described above,communications device 400 includes a housing 402, a first display screenportion 404, and may include an optional actuator 408. Communicationsdevice 400 additionally includes an edge portion 412. Edge portion 412may be comprised of a metallic material, rubberized material, or othermaterial, which may or may not be the same material that comprises otherexternal portions of the housing 402. Edge portion 412 may serve toprotect the first screen portion 404, other display screen portions, andother elements of the communications device 400 that are housed withinthe housing 402 from damage in the case of the device being accidentallydropped, from water damage, or from other damage.

FIG. 4B illustrates communications device 400, wherein a second displayscreen portion 406 has been extended from the housing 402. Second screenportion 406 is attached to the edge portion 412. When in a retractedmode as depicted in FIG. 4A, second screen portion 406 is housed withinthe housing 402. In at least one embodiment, actuator 408 may beactuated by a user in order to release the edge portion 412. A user maygrip the edge portion 412 and extend the second screen portion 406 untilit is fully extended. As described above, prior to being fully extended,second screen portion 406 may be disposed below the first screenportion. However, once second screen portion 406 has been fullyextended, the second screen portion 406 may move into the same plane asthe first screen portion 404, wherein an inner edge of the second screenportion 406, which is opposite the edge portion 412, may directly abutan adjacent edge of the first screen portion 404 in order to provide asingle display screen with increased size and resolution.

FIG. 4C shows an embodiment of the communications device 400. Inaddition to elements described above with respect to FIGS. 4A and 4B,FIG. 4C additionally includes an optional third screen portion 407,which may be extended from the housing 402 for an expanded viewing modeor retracted into the housing 402 for a portable mode. When both secondand third screen portions 406 and 407 are placed in retracted positions,one or the other may be disposed in the housing below the first screenportion 404, and the remaining screen portion may be disposed below theother two. Third screen portion 407 is attached to a second edge portion413, which, similarly to edge portion 412, in some embodiments may bereleased by an actuator or by other means. In at least one embodiment,second edge portion 413 and/or first edge portion 412 may be extendedfrom the housing 402 without any actuation of an actuator or otherrelease mechanism, but may merely be extended with a proportionateamount of pressure exerted by a user. In one example embodiment, secondedge portion 413 may be pushed into a fully retracted position and“click” into place—via a slightly spring loaded extrusion in the housing402, or by any other mechanism, depending on design preferences—when thedevice is placed in a portable mode. In such an embodiment, however, auser may exert a minor force in order to overcome the mechanismproviding the “clicked in” position and to extend the second edgeportion 413 and the corresponding third screen portion 407 from thehousing 402.

Similarly to the communications devices described in FIG. 3, when thirdscreen portion 407 is fully extended from the housing 402, it may moveinto the plane of the first screen portion 404 in order to form a planarsurface with first and second screen portions 404 and 406 in order toprovide a larger, planar display surface, with correspondingly increasedresolution. Similarly to FIG. 3, one or more graphical presentations orimages that are presented on the display device may be expanded,oriented and/or rotated in order to utilize the newly available screenresolution that is provided by the extended screen portion(s).

FIG. 5A depicts another embodiment of a communications device 500 withan extensible display screen. Communications device 500 includes a firstdisplay screen portion 504, which provides a display of a graphicalpresentation provided by a graphics processor of the communicationsdevice 500. The communications device 500 also includes a housing 502,which houses the electronic components of the device, and an optionalactuator 508 that, in at least one embodiment, may operate to fully orpartially extend the display screen of the communications device 500, asdescribed below. Housing 502 may include edge portions, which protectthe screen 504.

FIG. 5B depicts the communications device 500, where an extension of thedisplay has been initiated. Unlike devices depicted in FIGS. 1A-4C wherea second screen portion may be extended from inside the housing 502, incommunications device 500 an outermost screen portion—in this case,first screen portion 504—may be folded out from the communicationsdevice 500 to reveal a second screen portion 506. The first screenportion 504 may be unfolded—and subsequently refolded—along an axis thatforms the boundary between the first and second screen portions 504 and506. In one embodiment, the folding mechanisms described herein may beaccommodated by providing one or more grooves, corrugations or creasesin a single sheet of screen material(s), which will form the axis(es)upon which screen portions may be folded or unfolded to extend andretract the display.

In one embodiment, a user may actuate the optional actuator 508 in orderto release the front screen portion so that it may be unfolded. Otherembodiments may include other mechanisms for releasing the first screenportion in order to unfold it, for example, a switch, a hook, a tab andso forth may be provided. In an additional example embodiment, the frontscreen portion may “click” into place over a slight extrusion or ballbearing provided in the housing 502. The user may engage an actuator orgrip an edge of the screen portion or a slightly extruding memberattached to the screen portion in order to release and unfold the screenportion. In at least one embodiment, no release or actuator isnecessary, and the first screen portion 504 may simply be unfolded by auser.

FIG. 5C illustrates the communications device 500, where the firstscreen portion 504 is unfolded, i.e., extended, further. FIG. 5Dillustrates a full extension of the first screen portion 504, such thatfirst and second screen portions 504 and 506 are coplanar and form asingle display screen with a larger size and, in at least oneembodiment, twice the resolution. It is to be noted that in embodimentsof communications device 500 that are configured as depicted in FIGS.5A-5D, FIGS. 6A-6C, and FIGS. 7A-7B, that the first screen portion 504(or analogues thereto 604 and 704, in the case of FIGS. 6A-6C and 7A-7B)provides a graphical display on both faces of the screen portion,depending on whether the screen portion is in retracted or extended(i.e., folded out) mode. This is demonstrated as FIGS. 5A and 5B arecompared with FIG. 5D. As illustrated in FIG. 5A, when communicationsdevice 500 is in a portable mode, i.e., first screen portion 504 isfolded in and covers second screen portion 506, the outward, visiblefacing surface of first screen portion 504 provides a display. In someembodiments, as first screen portion 504 is unfolded, as illustrated inFIG. 5B, the screen portion may continue to provide a graphical displayon the same surface, or, optionally, the graphical output may bedisabled or may be transferred to the opposite surface or to screenportion 506 during unfolding. However, as depicted in FIG. 5D, once thefirst screen portion 504 is fully extended, the opposite surface of thescreen portion now becomes the outward-facing surface and is activated.This surface of the first screen portion 504, in conjunction with secondscreen portion 506, provides a graphical display for a user.

Thus, in embodiments depicted by FIGS. 5A-5D, first screen portion 504is enabled to provide graphical output on both surfaces, such that thescreen portion is operable in both folded (retracted) and unfolded(extended) modes. This dual-sidedness may be accomplished using variousdisplay screen technologies. In one example embodiment, the panel thatcomprises the first screen portion 504 may include two separate LCD orLED panels—one for each surface. In such an embodiment, a first displaypanel—which faces outward toward a user when the communications device500 is in a collapsed (i.e., portable) mode as depicted in FIG.5A—provides graphical output from the communications device 500. Then,when the first display screen is unfolded in order to provide anextended display screen that includes both screen portions 504 and 506,as illustrated in FIG. 5D, the second, opposite facing LCD panel of thefirst screen portion 504 may be enabled or become operable to provide adisplay on the other surface of the screen portion 504 in order toprovide a user with a graphical display in the expanded configuration.

In various embodiments, other technologies besides utilizing twoseparate LCD or LED panels may be used to provide a display on bothsurfaces of the first screen portion 504. In at least one embodiment, asingle display panel that provides a display on both sides thereof isutilized for the first screen portion 504. One example embodiment ofsuch a display panel includes a panel that incorporates organic lightemitting diode (OLED) technology.

Organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays are a recent generation ofdisplay technology which allows for a display to be provided, withoutbacklighting, on a thin sheet of material or film. An OLED consists ofan emissive electroluminescent layer, which typically comprises a filmof organic compounds that emit light in response to an electroniccurrent. When the materials that make up the emissive electroluminescentlayer of the OLED are placed between two electrodes that provide acurrent through the layer, the organic materials in the layer will emitlight. Various light emitting materials and/or pigmented portions may bedisposed within the layer in order to create color displays that canpresent graphical output, similarly to a traditional LED based display,LCD, or other display. Because the OLED itself is light emitting, OLEDsmay be used in some configurations without a backlight. This feature maybe combined with transparent or translucent emissive material and/orelectrodes, along with other transparent or translucent screen layers,in order to create OLEDs that are translucent or even largelytransparent. Given that they may be manufactured from polymers, OLEDsmay be designed to be bendable and even foldable, while still providingtheir display functionality. Because OLEDs may be manufactured to befoldable, they are well suited to embodiments that include folding, suchas those depicted in FIGS. 5A-5D, FIGS. 6A-6C and FIGS. 7A-7B. OLEDtechnology has reached the point where it may be used to provide fullyfunctional displays with resolutions that are competitive with otherdisplay technologies, but with the advantages of OLED.

FIGS. 6A-6C illustrate an embodiment of a communications device 600,with some similarities to communications device 500. Communicationsdevice 600 includes a housing 602 and an optional actuator 608. Theembodiments of communications device 600 depicted in FIGS. 6A-6C includea first display screen portion 604 that comprises an OLED display panel.Other layers of material, such as touch screen layers, may be added toone or more OLED layers to form a display screen panel. As depicted inFIG. 6B, when the OLED display panel of first screen portion 604 isfolded out in order to extend the screen, similarly as described abovewith respect to FIGS. 5A-5D, the graphical presentation depicted on thedisplay panel continues to be visible on the other surface of thedisplay panel. In the example of FIG. 6B, the image appears to beinverted (i.e., a mirror image) given that from the perspective of auser, the image is being viewed from the opposite surface. This is aresult of the first screen portion 604 being comprised of an OLED, whichcan be created on a transparent or translucent sheet of material. Thus,an embodiment that utilizes OLED may utilize a single OLED displayscreen to present a graphical display on both surfaces of a first screenportion 604.

In order to provide a user with a non-mirror-imaged view of a graphicalpresentation, hardware and/or software of the communications device 600detects when the first screen portion 604 has been fully or partiallyunfolded (i.e., extended). Upon detecting this, an image displayed inthe OLED display is inverted, so that it may be properly viewed from aperspective of a user facing the communications device 600, who is nowviewing an opposite surface of the first screen portion 604. As depictedin FIG. 6C, and similarly as described for other embodiments above, inaddition to being inverted, an image may be expanded and/or rotated inorder to present an expanded view and utilize the resolution and screenspace that is provided by the extended display, which includes bothfirst screen portion 604 and second screen portion 606. In someembodiments, second screen portion 606 of FIGS. 6B and 6C may becomprised of OLED material or, may be comprised of other displaytechnologies (e.g., LCD) material. In at least one embodiment, first andsecond screen portions 604 and 606 may be constructed of a single sheetof OLED display screen material.

As depicted in FIGS. 7A and 7B, at least one embodiment of acommunications device 700 may have a third panel 707 in addition to afirst panel 704 and a second panel 706. The panels are encased by thehousing 702. When a communications device is in a portable mode (notshown in FIG. 7A or 7B), both the first panel 704 and the third panel707 are folded inwards. The third panel 707 may be folded directly ontop of the second (center) panel 706, and the first panel 704 may befolded on top of the third panel 707 to be the most outward panel. Insuch a configuration, only the first panel 704, which is the mostoutward panel, would be visible to a user. The outward-facing surface ofthe first panel 704 would provide a graphical presentation to the user.In some embodiments, the configuration could be switched, such thatthird panel 707 is the outward-most panel and provides a display in theportable mode. In at least one embodiment, the device is configured todetect which of the first and third panels is outward facing, andprovide a display thereon.

As depicted in FIG. 7A, first panel 704 and third panel 707 may befolded out in order to provide a significantly extended display. FIG. 7Bdepicts the communications device 700, wherein a display has beenprovided across each of the first, second and third display screenportions (704, 706 and 707) in order to provide a single, extendeddisplay with expanded screen space and resolution. The screens depictedin communications device 700 may be OLED screens, as described withrespect to FIGS. 6A-6C, or may be other types of screens, for example,LCD, as described above.

In FIGS. 5A-5D, FIGS. 6A-6C, and FIGS. 7A-7B, the various screenportions depicted may be comprised of a single display panel sheet, oreach screen portion may be an individual display panel sheet, which isattached to one or more of the other screen portions. A display panelsheet may be constituted from various layers of materials, includinglayers of display materials (such as one or more sheets of LCD, LED, orOLED elements), layers of materials that facilitate touch screenfunctionality, layers of backlighting materials, protective layers, andso forth. One or more of the layers may be transparent or translucent.

FIG. 8 illustrates an embodiment of a portable communications device800. The communications device 800 may fully or partially represent anycommunications device (e.g., 100, 300, 400, 500, 600 and 700) describedherein. The communications device 800 will be described in reference toa communications network, which the communications device 800communicates with in order to receive and transmit data from the device.The mobile communications device 800 includes a housing 802, an antenna804, a communications interface 806, a user input interface 808, amicrophone 810, a speaker 812, control logic 814, memory 816, a battery818, a graphics processor 820, and one or more display screens 822 thatmay be consistent with the display screens and/or screen portions of thevarious embodiments described above. Each of these components isdiscussed in greater detail below. FIG. 8 is an illustration of anembodiment of a communications device 800, and it is understood that thecomponents thereof may be implemented either functionally or logically,as hardware or as software, and may be integrated into consolidatedunits or separated into multiple units beyond what is depicted in theexample embodiment shown in FIG. 8. Further, communications device 800may include additional components beyond those depicted in FIG. 8. Thevarious components of entertainment device 800 are depicted as beingconnected via one or more busses or connections. The connections thatare depicted in FIG. 8 are merely illustrative; the components of theentertainment device 800 may be connected in any of severalconfigurations using any number of buses or other connections.

The housing 802 is configured to house the various illustratedcomponents. One or more display screens 822 may be coupled to thehousing and may be disposed at a surface thereof. As described above,one or more screen portions may be housed within the housing 802 when ina retracted mode, and may be extended therefrom in an extended viewingmode. The housing 802 may include additional mechanical elements, suchas one or more rollers, bearings and/or tracks that facilitate theextension of the one or more screen portions. Support structures for thescreens may also be provided The housing 802 may also be coupled to oneor more actuators (not depicted in FIG. 8, but depicted in previousfigures) or other user input mechanisms (whether mechanical orelectronic) which facilitate a partial or full extension of the one ormore extendable screen portions. It will be appreciated that thedimensions of the housing 802 and configuration thereof may varydepending on desired design criteria.

An antenna 804 is disposed within or along an edge of the housing 802.An antenna may be configured to receive and transmit one or moredifferent types of wireless communication signals in order to providecommunication between the communications device 800 and one or morecommunications networks. For example the antenna may be configured toprovide communication with a cellular network, a wireless data networksuch as a wireless LAN or WAN, or to otherwise provide communicationswith other devices via various wireless protocols, and so forth. Theremay be multiple antennas to communicate with different types of networksor a single antenna configured to transmit and receive signals fromvarious types of networks. The communications interface 806, coupled tothe antenna 804, may comprise any type of wireless transceiverconfigured to communicate with one or more communications networks viathe antenna 804. The communications interface 806 may utilize any typeof wireless communication protocol depending on desired design criteria.

The user input interface 808 is disposed along a surface of the housing802. The user input interface 808 is configured to receive user inputfrom a user. In at least one embodiment, the user input interface 808includes one or more buttons or keys configured to receive the userinput. The user input interface 808 may include other types ofman-machine interfaces, including trackballs, rocker switches, touchpads, touch screens and the like. In at least one embodiment, the inputinterface 808 is configured to receive voice input from the user. In atleast one embodiment, the user input interface 808 receives user inputfrom touch screen panels that are integrated with the one or more screenportions described herein.

The microphone 810 is configured to receive voice data from the user.The speaker 812 is configured to output audio data to the user. Themicrophone 810 and the speaker 812 may be positioned at appropriatelocations within or on the surface of the housing 802. The microphone810 and/or speaker 812 may be optional in some embodiments. Someembodiments may incorporate additional user input devices, for example,a camera device.

The control logic 814 is operable to control the operation of thecommunications device 800. The control logic 814 may be a singleprocessing device or a plurality of processing devices thatcooperatively operate to control the operation of the communicationsdevice 800. In at least one embodiment, the control logic 814 isoperable to control telephone communications and/or data operationsbetween the communications device 800 and one or more communicationsnetworks and/or remote devices. In at least one embodiment, controllogic 814 may execute applications and/or other processors which provideand/or enhance the functionality of the communications device 800. Thecontrol logic operates in conjunction with memory 816, which may bevolatile and/or non-volatile memory, in order to execute storedprograms, store and recall files, and provide processing capabilitiesfor the device.

The communications device 800 includes a power source 818, which may bea battery and/or a power source that provides and/or facilitates aconnection to an external source of electrical current.

The communications device 800 includes a graphics processor 820, whichmay be operable to format and present data that is provided from thecontrol logic 814, the memory 816, and/or other elements of thecommunications device 800 to the display screen(s) 822. According toembodiments described in more detail above, graphics processor 820 maybe operable to adjust the resolution, size, and/or orientation of agraphical presentation based on one or more screen portions beingextended or retracted. For example, in a system where there are twoscreen portions, the graphics processor 820 may present a graphicaldisplay on a first screen portion when the second screen portion isretracted. If a second screen portion is extended, the graphicsprocessor 820 may adjust the proportions and/or orientation of thegraphical presentation in order to utilize the larger screen space thatis provided by the combination of the second screen portion with thefirst screen portion. In embodiments, such as those depicted by FIGS. 5and 7, wherein one or more screen portions may be folded in order to beretracted, graphics processor 820 may switch presentation betweenscreens that are provided on opposing surfaces of a screen portion. Inembodiments that utilize a single OLED screen, which provides a displayat both surfaces of a screen portion (as described above and depicted inFIGS. 6A-6C), the graphics processor 820 may switch the orientation ofan image based on the direction a screen portion is facing. For example,the graphics processor may display an image in a first orientation whena screen portion is folded in and a first surface of the screen isvisible, as depicted in FIG. 7A, and may invert and/or adjust thepicture into a second orientation when the screen portion is folded out,as depicted in FIG. 7C. In some embodiments, graphics processor 820 mayadjust which screen portions are activated or deactivated based onwhether one or more of the screen portions are extended or retracted.Extension or retraction of screen portions may be detected by one ormore mechanical or electrical detection devices (e.g., switches), whichmay be implemented according to desired design criteria.

FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart, which depicts a method for displaying agraphical output on a communications device. First, it is detected thata communications device has been placed in a first display configuration(operation 901). In the first display configuration, a first screenportion of the communications device has been folded upon a secondscreen portion of the communications device. A graphical output from agraphics processor of the communications device is displayed at a firstsurface of the first screen portion (operation 902). As described above,when the communications device is in the first display configuration, asecond surface of the first screen portion may face inwardly toward asurface of the second screen portion. Subsequently, it may be detectedthat the communications device has been placed in a second displayconfiguration, wherein the first screen portion has been unfolded withrespect to the second screen portion in order to form a single displayscreen with the second portion (operation 903). In this unfolded state,the second surface of the first screen portion, which is opposite thefirst surface, is in the same plane and is facing the same direction asthe surface of the second screen portion in order to form the singledisplay screen. A first portion of a second graphical output isdisplayed on the second surface of the first screen portion (operation904). A second portion of the second graphical output is displayed atthe surface of the second screen portion, such that the second graphicaloutput is displayed on the single, combined display screen (operation905).

As described above, the first screen portion may include a singledisplay device, which provides a display that is visible at both thefirst and the second surfaces of the first screen portion. In someembodiments, this single display device may be a transparent ortranslucent sheet of material, which provides an OLED display. In someembodiments of the process depicted in FIG. 9, the first graphicaloutput from the graphics processor may be displayed in a firstorientation by the first screen portion when the communications deviceis in the first display configuration. In such an embodiment, when thefirst screen portion has been unfolded to provide the second (expanded)display configuration, the first orientation of the first screen portionmay be inverted by the graphics processor, since the opposite surface ofthe screen portion is now the surface which is being viewed. Thus, inorder to not show a mirror image of graphical output, the graphicalorientation may be inverted horizontally in order to correctly displaythe first portion of the second graphical output in the expanded displayconfiguration.

In the process depicted in FIG. 9, the resolution of the secondgraphical output may be increased with respect to the first graphicaloutput, in order to utilize the additional screen space provided by thecombination of the first screen portion and the second screen portioninto the single display screen, when the device is placed in theexpanded display configuration. Additionally, the graphical output maybe rotated in order to best utilize the newly available screen space andresolution.

Although specific embodiments were described herein, the scope of theinvention is not limited to those specific embodiments. The scope of theinvention is defined by the following claims and any equivalentstherein.

The various embodiments described above can be combined to providefurther embodiments. All of the U.S. patents, U.S. patent applicationpublications, U.S. patent application, foreign patents, foreign patentapplication and non-patent publications referred to in thisspecification and/or listed in the Application Data Sheet areincorporated herein by reference, in their entirety. Aspects of theembodiments can be modified, if necessary to employ concepts of thevarious patents, application and publications to provide yet furtherembodiments.

These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of theabove-detailed description. In general, in the following claims, theterms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specificembodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should beconstrued to include all possible embodiments along with the full scopeof equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, theclaims are not limited by the disclosure.

We claim:
 1. A portable communications device, comprising: a housing; agraphics processor, that processes data in order to generate a graphicaloutput; and a display apparatus, which is coupled to the housing, andwhich comprises a first screen portion and a second screen portioncomprised of a single physical display sheet that extends from the firstscreen portion to the second screen portion, the display apparatus isadjustable to be placed in a first, portable display configuration and asecond, expanded display configuration, wherein: the first screenportion is configured to be placed in a first position in the first,portable display configuration, in which the first screen portion isfolded on top of the second screen portion such that a first planardisplay surface of the first screen portion faces inwardly toward aplanar display surface of the second screen portion and a second planardisplay surface of the first screen portion faces outwardly, the secondplanar display surface presents the graphical output from the graphicsprocessor when the display apparatus is in the first, portable displayconfiguration, wherein the first planar display surface of the firstscreen portion and the planar display surface of the second screenportion are inactive when the display apparatus is in the first,portable display configuration; the first screen portion is furtherconfigured to provide the second, expanded display configuration, inwhich the first screen portion is unfolded from its position in thefirst, portable display configuration along an axis that comprises anedge of the second screen portion that is coupled to and directly abutsan edge of the first screen portion, wherein in the second expandeddisplay configuration, the first screen portion is collocated next toand coplanar with the second screen portion, such that the first planardisplay surface faces the same direction as the planar display surfaceof the second screen portion and forms a single display screentherewith; and touch interface controls are positioned on the firstplanar display surface of the first screen portion when the screen is inthe second expanded display configuration and the planar display surfaceof the second screen portion continues to present the graphical outputtransferred from the second planar display surface in the first,portable display configuration, and the first planar display surface ofthe first screen portion provides the touch interface controls thatpermits controlling of the graphical output presented on the planardisplay surface of the second screen portion, wherein display of thegraphical output is disabled on the second planar display surface andtransferred to the planar display surface of the second screen portionupon the portable communications device detecting that the first screenportion is unfolded from its position in the first, portable displayconfiguration to its position in the second, expanded displayconfiguration.
 2. The portable communications device of claim 1, whereinthe first planar display surface and the second planar display surfaceof the first screen portion are comprised of two different,oppositely-facing display devices that are disposed within the firstscreen portion.
 3. The portable communications device of claim 1,wherein the first planar display surface and the second planar displaysurface of the first screen portion provide a view of a single displaydevice that is disposed within the first screen portion, wherein thegraphics processor is configured to alter the orientation of the singledisplay device based on a detection of whether the communications deviceis in the first portable display configuration or the second expandeddisplay configuration.
 4. The portable communications device of claim 3,wherein the single display device comprises a layer of organiclight-emitting diode (OLED) material.
 5. The portable communicationsdevice of claim 1, wherein the single physical display sheet hasmultiple layers, wherein the axis between the first and second screenportions comprises a corrugation in the single physical display sheet,along which the single physical display sheet is creased.
 6. Theportable communications device of claim 5, wherein the single physicaldisplay sheet includes a touch screen layer.
 7. The portablecommunications device of claim 1, further comprising a third screenportion, which is configured to be placed in the first, portable displayconfiguration, in which the third screen portion is folded on top of thesecond screen portion and beneath the first screen portion; and which isfurther configured to be placed in the second display configuration, inwhich the first and third screen portions are unfolded from theirpositions in the first display configuration along a first and secondaxis that comprise opposite edges of the second screen portion to whichthe first and third screen portions are attached, wherein in the seconddisplay configuration, the first and third screen portions arecollocated next to and coplanar with the second screen portion, suchthat a planar surface of the third screen portion forms the singledisplay screen with the first planar surface of the first screen portionand the planar surface of the second screen portion, which presents thegraphical output from the graphics processor.
 8. A method for displayinga graphical output on a communications device, the method comprisingdetecting that a communications device has been placed in a firstdisplay configuration, wherein a first screen portion of thecommunications device has been folded upon a second screen portion ofthe communications device, the first screen portion and the secondscreen portion are comprised of a single physical display sheet thatextends from the first screen portion to the second screen portion;displaying a first graphical output from a graphics processor of thecommunications device at a first surface of the first screen portion;detecting that the communications device has been placed in a seconddisplay configuration, wherein the first screen portion has beenunfolded with respect to the second screen portion, such that a secondsurface of the first screen portion, which is opposite the firstsurface, is in the same plane and facing the same direction as a surfaceof the second screen portion, the second surface of the first screenportion and the surface of the second screen portion forming a single,combined display screen; transferring display of the first graphicaloutput from the first surface of the first screen portion to the surfaceof the second screen portion; displaying, on the second surface of thefirst screen portion, touch interface controls for controlling the firstgraphical output displayed on the surface of the second screen portion,such that the first graphical output and the touch interface controlsare displayed on the single, combined display screen; and disablingdisplay of the first graphical output on the first surface of the firstscreen portion upon detecting by the portable communications device thatthe first screen portion is unfolded from its position in the firstdisplay configuration to its position in the second displayconfiguration.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first screenportion includes a single display device, which provides a display thatis visible at both the first and the second surfaces of the first screenportion, the method further comprising: displaying the first graphicaloutput from the graphics processor of the communications device to bedisplayed in a first orientation by the first screen portion when thecommunications device is in the first display configuration; and upondetection that the communications device has been placed in the seconddisplay configuration, inverting the first orientation of the firstscreen portion in order to provide a second orientation to display thefirst portion of the second graphical output in the second displayconfiguration.
 10. A display device, comprising: a graphics processor,that processes data in order to generate a graphical output; and adisplay apparatus which comprises a first screen portion and a secondscreen portion comprised of a single integrated physical display sheetthat extends from the first screen portion to the second screen portionas a single contiguous member, the display apparatus is adjustable to beplaced in a first, portable display configuration and a second, expandeddisplay configuration, wherein: the first screen portion is configuredto be placed in a first position in the first, portable displayconfiguration, in which the first screen portion of the singleintegrated physical display sheet is folded on top of the second screenportion of the single integrated physical display sheet such that afirst planar display surface of the first screen portion of the singleintegrated physical display sheet faces inwardly toward a planar displaysurface of the second screen portion of the single integrated physicaldisplay sheet and a second planar display surface of the first screenportion faces outwardly, the second planar display surface presents thegraphical output from the graphics processor when the display apparatusis in the first, portable display configuration, wherein the firstplanar display surface of the first screen portion of the singleintegrated physical display sheet and the planar display surface of thesecond screen portion of the single integrated physical display sheetare inactive when the display apparatus is in the first, portabledisplay configuration; and the first screen portion further configuredto provide the second, expanded display configuration, in which thefirst screen portion is unfolded from its position in the first,portable display configuration along an axis that comprises an edge ofthe second screen portion that is coupled to and directly abuts an edgeof the first screen portion, wherein in the second expanded displayconfiguration, the first screen portion is collocated next to andcoplanar with the second screen portion, such that the first planardisplay surface faces the same direction as the planar display surfaceof the second screen portion and forms a single display screentherewith; and touch interface controls positioned on the first planardisplay surface of the first screen portion when the screen is in thesecond expanded display configuration and the planar display surface ofthe second screen portion continues to present the graphical outputtransferred from the second planar display surface in the first,portable display configuration, and the first planar display surface ofthe first screen portion provides the touch interface controls thatpermits controlling of the graphical output presented on the planardisplay surface of the second screen portion, wherein display of thegraphical output is disabled on the second planar display surface andtransferred to the planar display surface of the second screen portionupon the display device detecting that the first screen portion isunfolded from its position in the first, portable display configurationto its position in the second, expanded display configuration.
 11. Thedisplay device of claim 10, wherein the first planar display surface andthe second planar display surface of the first screen portion arecomprised of two different, oppositely-facing display devices that aredisposed within the first screen portion.
 12. The display device ofclaim 10, wherein the first planar display surface and the second planardisplay surface of the first screen portion provide a view of a singledisplay device that is disposed within the first screen portion, whereinthe graphics processor is configured to alter the orientation of thesingle display device based on a detection of whether the display deviceis in the first portable display configuration or the second expandeddisplay configuration.
 13. The display device of claim 12, wherein thesingle integrated physical display sheet comprises a layer of organiclight-emitting diode (OLED) material.
 14. The display device of claim10, wherein the single integrated physical display sheet has multiplelayers, wherein the axis between the first and second screen portionscomprises a corrugation in the single integrated physical display sheet,along which the single integrated physical display sheet is creased. 15.The display device of claim 14, wherein the single integrated physicaldisplay sheet includes a touch screen layer.
 16. The display device ofclaim 10, further comprising a third screen portion, which is configuredto be placed in the first, portable display configuration, in which thethird screen portion is folded on top of the second screen portion ofthe single integrated physical display sheet and beneath the firstscreen portion of the single integrated physical display sheet; andwhich is further configured to be placed in the second displayconfiguration, in which the first and third screen portions are unfoldedfrom their positions in the first display configuration along a firstand second axis that comprise opposite edges of the second screenportion to which the first and third screen portions are attached,wherein in the second display configuration, the first and third screenportions are collocated next to and coplanar with the second screenportion, such that a planar surface of the third screen portion formsthe single display screen with the first planar surface of the firstscreen portion of the single integrated physical display sheet and theplanar surface of the second screen portion of the single integratedphysical display sheet.